©  Associated Press

President Biden has ordered “all available Federal assets” to aid the response to the raging Maui wildfires that have left dozens of people dead and devastated entire towns, including historic Lahaina, a popular tourist destination.

“Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the wildfires in Maui, and our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses, and communities destroyed,” Biden said in a statement. “We are grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harm’s way to save lives.”

Federal and state authorities are working to rescue people still fleeing the fires and safely evacuate tourists and others to the mainland.

The departments of Interior and Agriculture are also ready to respond with post-fire recovery efforts, Biden said.

The three ongoing fires on Maui, brought on by unusually dry conditions, have been fanned by Hurricane Dora, churning south of the Island.

Preliminary numbers: At least 36 people have died, but survivors have reported seeing bodies that haven’t yet been recovered.

According to Maui County officials, at least 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people were left injured. (See photos of the disaster.)

Some people sought safety by jumping into the ocean.

State leaders: Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke (D) — serving as acting governor — declared a state of emergency earlier this week.

Gov. Josh Green (D) returned early from an out-of-state trip to respond to the fires.

“The wind-fueled fires have devastated many of our communities and people will be looking to our office for leadership while we address the ongoing emergency and do what we can as a state to rebuild lives,” Green said in a statement. (The Hill)

Nexstar’s KHON spoke to two Lahaina men who escaped the flames by jumping into the ocean and holding onto a jetty until the Coast Guard could rescue them.

“I saw a couple people just running, I heard screams out of hell … explosions. It felt like we were in hell, it really was. It was just indescribable,” one of the men told the station. (The Hill)

It’s Thursday, Aug. 10. I’m Elizabeth Crisp, filling in for Cate, with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Send me your tips: ecrisp@digital-stage.thehill.com and follow me on Twitter @elizabethcrisp.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s penchant for luxury travel apparently goes deeper than initially reported: A new bombshell report from ProPublica details that Thomas has taken dozens of trips bankrolled by at least four billionaire friends since he’s been on the bench.

By the numbers (via ProPublica’s findings):

• 38 destinations
• 26 private jet flights
• 12 VIP passes for sporting events
• Eight helicopter flights
• Two resort stays in Florida and Jamaica
• One “standing invitation” to an exclusive golf club

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat who has occasionally frustrated his more liberal colleagues, says he is “thinking seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party to become an Independent before the 2024 election.

Manchin told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval on Thursday that partisan brands have “become so bad.”

“In West Virginia, the D brand because it’s [the] national brand. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia, it’s the Democrats in Washington.  

“You’ve heard me say a million times I’m not a Washington Democrat,” he said.  

Manchin said he’s thinking “very seriously” about the switch and has been “for quite some time.”

But Manchin still hasn’t said whether he will run for a fourth Senate term or mount a third-party campaign for president for 2024. (The Hill)

She’s no longer House Speaker; he’s no longer president. But that doesn’t mean Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former President Trump are ready to set aside their issues — or even temper their attacks on each other.

In recent days, Pelosi has described Trump, who is facing several criminal charges, as looking like a “scared puppy.”

Trump turned it up a notch and responded by calling Pelosi a “Wicked Witch” and a “demented psycho who will someday live in HELL!” 

The Hill’s Mychael Schnell breaks down the latest round of Pelosi versus Trump: “The verbal tit-for-tat is nothing new for Trump and Pelosi, who engaged in name-calling while sparring across Pennsylvania Avenue during Trump’s presidency.”

But after stepping back from the spotlight after she gave up her gavel and official post as the leader of the House Democrats, Pelosi has made the media rounds after Trump’s latest indictment.

What Pelosi said (via MSNBC interview Friday): “I wasn’t in the courtroom, of course, but when I saw his coming out of his car and this or that, I saw a scared puppy. He looked very, very, very concerned about the fate … I didn’t see any bravado or confidence or anything like that. He knows the truth — that he lost the election and now he’s got to face the music.”

What Trump said (via Truth Social): “I purposely didn’t comment on Nancy Pelosi’s very weird story concerning her husband, but now I can because she said something about me, with glee, that was really quite vicious. ‘I saw a scared puppy,’ she said, as she watched me on television, like millions of others, that didn’t see that. I wasn’t ‘scared.’ Nevertheless, how mean a thing to say! She is a Wicked Witch whose husband’s journey from hell starts and finishes with her. She is a sick & demented psycho who will someday live in HELL!”

More from The Hill here.

Rounding out his trip out West this week, President Biden is slated to highlight the one-year anniversary of signing the bipartisan PACT Act, which has provided billions in benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxins during service.

Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is expected to join Biden for the event to be held at a VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

Per the White House, the Department of Veterans Affairs has paid roughly $1.85 billion in PACT Act-related benefits in the past year and processed roughly 459,000 claims through the law. (The Hill)

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tries to regain his footing in the GOP presidential primary battle, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he sees a pathway for his own rise.

“We feel like it’s really moving in our direction,” Christie said in a Fox News interview this week. “Our momentum is going the right way. Gov. DeSantis is going in the wrong direction.”

In particular, he has spotted an opening in early primary state New Hampshire.

“So our first job is to get past Gov. DeSantis in New Hampshire,” Christie said. “And then we’re going to take on Donald Trump one-on-one.”

Former President Trump remains a clear frontrunner for the nomination — besting his rivals with wide, double-digit margins.

DeSantis has mostly polled in second place in the Republican primary race but has been sagging recently, prompting a campaign shakeup. (The Hill)

The Iowa State Fair soapbox, where GOP presidential candidates will get a chance to woo 2024 caucus-goers, is officially underway today. The fried-food-filled event is always seen as an opportunity for some of the lesser-known candidates to try to make a play for an early primary win that could boost their campaigns.

Here’s a full schedule of the line-up of candidates. Many of the speeches will be aired on C-SPAN.

Inflation hit a 3.2 percent annual rate in July — up slightly from June, according to new consumer price data from the Labor Department.

The consumer price index is one of several economic indicators the Federal Reserve considers as it mulls another interest rate hike at its September meeting.

(The Hill)

Former President Trump has pleaded not guilty through his attorneys on additional charges in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case accusing Trump of leading an effort to delete security camera footage from his Florida home.

Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet and co-defendant, also pleaded not guilty, while Carlos de Oliveira, a property manager at Mar-a-Lago and another co-defendant, has not entered a plea because he doesn’t have a Florida-based attorney.

Authorities investigating the handling of classified documents that were taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago when Trump left office allege they later discovered that Trump and his co-defendants tried to delete surveillance footage after the Justice Department sought the video. (The Hill)

Former President Obama posted about the devastation overtaking his home state, Hawaii, as it suffers through catastrophic, hurricane-driven wildfires.

“It’s tough to see some of the images coming out of Hawai’i — a place that’s so special to so many of us. Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down,” he wrote, along with a link to provide assistance to those affected.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) shared a moment with James McCain, 35, at the Grand Canyon during this week’s national monument ceremony, sharing a conversation about his late father, John McCain, the long-serving Republican Arizona senator who died of cancer in 2018.

“This amazing accomplishment is built on your father’s incredible legacy,” Sinema wrote with a video of the interaction online.

The House and Senate are out this week. President Biden is in Salt Lake City before returning to the White House tonight, and Vice President Harris is in D.C.

• 11 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing.

• 1:15 p.m.: Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks on the one-year anniversary of the PACT Act during an event in Salt Lake City.

• 3:30 p.m.: Biden is set to take part in a campaign reception in Park City, Utah.

• 5:25 p.m.: Biden is scheduled to depart Utah to head back to D.C.

• 9:20 p.m.: Biden is scheduled to be back at the White House.

All times Eastern.

• 10 a.m.: House Oversight panel began a field hearing in Fort Meyers, Fla., on Hurricane Ian recovery. (Watch here)

• 1:15 p.m.: Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks on the one-year anniversary of the PACT Act during an event in Salt Lake City. (Watch here)

Today is National S’mores Day! Graham crackers, gooey marshmallows and melty chocolate… Enjoy the popular campfire treat or throw some of those ingredients into another dessert.  

*Campfire not required, but it definitely adds to the ambiance.

And because you made it this far, check out this video of a panda enjoying some carrots… 🐼

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